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Philadelphia Police Officers and LTCF Philadelphia PD Directive 5.27

NOTE: Active Philadelphia Police Officers are prohibited from possessing License to Carry. The Commanding Officer, Recruit Division, will ensure that all police recruits relinquish any License to Carry that may have been issued to them prior to beginning their recruit training.

The above directive tells Philadelphia police officers that they cannot hold a LCTF while they are an active police officer. You may ask why would this matter because police officers are exempt from LTCF regulations and also have LEOSA as well. Well when I was a municipal police officer in PA during the 1980s, the first thing told to me by my training officer was to obtain a LTCF immediately. The rationale was that if you were suspended, your police powers were also suspended and you could carry for self defense until reinstated. I did obtain a gun permit and have had one ever since.

This may be one of the reasons that Philly police hate issuing LTCFs to non LEOs. They don't want you to have what they may not be able to get.

....as police officers they don't really need a ltcf but I don't understand why the department forbids it's officers from having them.

There may be language in regulations that indicate a requirement to qualify with "off duty" weapons etc... There often is a list of permitted calibers and firearms in a PDs firearm regulations. Most also limit the number of personal weapons an officer can qualify with. So, not that an officer would be breaking the law by carrying a Kel-Tec P3AT in a belly band while jogging, but more than likely doing something against PD regs. I would say that MOST of the officers I know who are "gun guys", also possess and maintain a valid PALTCF.